Plantar Warts Overview

Warts are produced by an infection of the skin by human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the most common viral infection of the skin. Plantar warts grow on the plantar surface or the sole of the foot. They can be found anywhere in this area but tend to produce symptoms in areas of pressure and friction. The virus that causes warts, the human papillomavirus, infects only the superficial layer of skin, producing a thickened callus-like growth that, if located in an areas subjected to pressure, can become quite tender.

Although warts characteristically resolve spontaneously, it is occasionally
necessary to treat painful plantar warts. The incubation period (the period of
time between infection and the production of the visible skin lesion) is unknown
but estimates vary from months to years. Historical evidence is of little
benefit in attempting to determine how one's wart was acquired. There are at
least 120 different types of human papillomavirus (HPV), and certain types infect specific anatomical areas, like the plantar surface of the foot. Other HPV types
that infect oral or genital mucous membranes are a cause of cervical and other genital cancer. Warts are ubiquitous infections, with least one-half of adults infected during their lifetime. The current prevalence of plantar warts in adults is unknown, but it is a fraction of the estimated 7%-10% of adults with all types of wart infections.

Plantar warts are seen in all age groups, but they are most common among children 12-16 years
of age and rare in the elderly.

Risk factors for the development of plantar warts include

use of public showers,

skin trauma,

weakened immune system because of certain
medications used or illness.